Trace-holder



F. McALlSTEB.

TRACE HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 11. 1919.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Bed Wm,

FRED newsman, or NIAGARA, Noam DAKOTA.

TRACE-HOLDER.

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Application filed July 11, 1919. Serial No. 310,129.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, FRED MoALIsTER, a citizen ofi the United States,residing at Niagara, in the county of Grand Forks, State of NorthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trace-Holders; and I: do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin-the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to trace holders and it has for its object toprovide a c0nstruction that will comprise a minimum of parts and inwhich the actuating spring for the keeper may be readily renewed whenbroken but will nevertheless be securely protected from extraneousinfluences; A further object of the invention is to provide an articlethat will be economical of manufacture,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a trace holder embodying the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section, illustrating the arrangementof the spring.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

:Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section in the plane of the pivot ofthe keeper.

Referring to the drawings, the present holder comprises a base adaptedat its ends to receive the bolts that secure it to a shaft and risingfrom this base 5, adjacent one end is a hook finger 6, the upper end ofwhich is conveXed and the extremity of which ranges in the direction ofthe opposite end of the base.

Spaced from the hook finger 6 and substantially midway of the ends ofthe base is a pair of laterally spaced and upwardly directed ears 7having registering transverse perforations 8 for a purpose to bepresently described.

Adjacent to the opposite end of the base from the hook finger, is anupwardly directed and transversely curved or arc-shaped flange 9.

In practice the base plate 5 is secured with the bill of the hook 6directed forwardly so that the trace, which is engaged over the hookfinger, pulls into the concavity of thelatter and to preventdisengagement of the trace accidentally when it is slack, there isprovided a keeper.

The keeper consists of a lever 10 having a narrowed depending ear 11that is disposed between the ears 7 and is adapted to rock upon a pivotpin 12 passed through the perforations 8 and a corresponding perforation13 in the depending ear. One end of this keeper lever overlies the upperconveXed end face of the hook finger 6 and is provided with a concavity14: to receive snugly the said face. To hold the lever normally andyieldably in this position, a helical spring 15 has one end seated in arecess 16 in the base plate 5 between the bottoms of the ears 7 whileits other end is seated in a recess 17 in the lower face of thecorrespond ing portion of the lever, between the ears 7 and the flange9. i

To protect the helical spring against extraneous influences, thecorresponding extremity of the keeper lever 11 is provided with adepending apron 18 that lies at all times with its lower edge portionwithin the curvature of the flange 9 and in close proximity to it,forming in connection with the flange, a baflile at the correspondingside-of the spring and from which direction injury is most apt to cometo the spring as the vehicle advances.

The form and position of the flange 9 as well as the adjacent end of thelever 11, is such that when the lever is swung upwardly under theinfluence of such rearward strains as may come to it at any time, thisend face of the keeper lever will impinge against the flange 9 whichlatter will then relieve the pivot pin of over-strain.

What is claimed is V In a trace holder the combination with a base platehaving a hook finger at one end, a transversely arc-shaped flange risingfrom the same face of the plate at its opposite end, the hook finger andthe flange having their concavities directed toward 7 each other, and apair of spaced ears between the hook finger and the flange, of a keeperlever having a depending ear pivoted to and between the ears of the baseplate and having one end concaved and arranged to receive in itsconcavitv the outer end face of the hook finger, the other end of the Intestimony whereof, I afiE'lx my signature lever having an apron arrangedand shaped in the presence of two Witnesses.

to conform to and fittingly contact with the concave face of the flangethroughout FRED MCALISTER' the movement of the lever, and a helicalWitnesses:

spring disposed and held between the DAVID KmK,

aproned end of the lever and the base plate. GEO. B. KIRK, -Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

